Fundraising Best Practices: FIMRC Give

Interested in fundraising for your volunteer trip with FIMRC Give but need fresh ideas? We are excited to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit of one of our Summer International Health Fellows, Ariana Small. Ariana's background in public health and drive to help improve the lives of others prompted her to explore the Summer International Health Fellowship at our site in Huancayo, Peru this July. She knew that paying for this experience would not be easy, but she was determined to spend the month of July shadowing in hospitals, leading health education campaigns, and helping those in the developing world. She decided that she would pick up a few babysitting jobs and try to fundraise for half of her trip.

Donors from around the country in their Heal Peru t-shirts

Ariana realized the power of a small incentive to prompt donations. She decided to create her FIMRC Give page, a donation platform for FIMRC Volunteers to share with their friends and family, and to sell t-shirts through her page. For every $20 donation, Ariana would send the donor a beautifully designed "FIMRC: Heal Peru" t-shirt. After the first few donations, word quickly spread and students at Muhlenberg College, where Ariana is the FIMRC Chapter Founder and President, would go up to her on campus and ask if they could donate! With the success of Ariana's t-shirts, she decided to sell hand-painted mugs for $12 on her FIMRC Give page. In addition to selling t-shirts and mugs, she also hosted an art day with a suggested donation per hour, attendees would have access to different crafts, painting, and a drum circle - the event was a huge success!